Electrical switch mechanism.



ELECTRICAL SWITCH MECHANISM.

NEWTON.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5,1915.

Patented June 13, 1916.

[N VE N TOR.

Mam/m .I iiwZZv I I TNliSSIiS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J'. NEWTON, 0F LYNBROOK, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 NEWTON MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY, OF LYNBROOK, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRICAL SWITCH MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 13, 1916.

Application filed April 5, 1915. Serial No. 19,173.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J. NEWTON,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynbrook, in the county of Nassau and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Electrical Switch Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an electrical switch mechanism of the push button type and may be briefly described as an improved construction of switch mechanism preferably for insertion into a wall and flush therewith, capable of operation by a single push button which by one movement switches the current on, is then returned automatically to normal position, then by a second movement in the same direction as the first switches the current off and is again returned to normal position; and thus by a series of movements in the same direction alternately makes and breaks the circuit.

-The mechanism may contain means for making and breaking either one or several circuits.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through an apparatus illustrating my invention and showing electrical connections for one switch; Fig. 2 is a vertical, central section through dotted line m of Fig. 1, l0oking in either direction; Fig. 3 is a plan of the supporting plate or frame of Fig. 1, with all its parts in the same plane; Fig. 4 is an inverted plan of said supporting plate bent into final shape and with some of the operative parts connected thereto; Fig. 5 is a section of the hollow push button with the parts immediately connected therewith; Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the center of Fig. 5 with certain additional parts, looking in either direction; Fig. 7 is a vertical view of a portion of the operating devices of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a plan of Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a view of the parts of Fig. 7 in reversed position; Fig. 10 is a plan of a part of the mechanism of Fig. 9; Figs. 11 to 15, inclusive, show details of parts of the operative devices, Fig. 14 being a section of Fig. 13 through the line y and looking toward the left.

3 enter said casing and are united by any suitable means to the interior conductors 4 and 5. A supporting frame or plate (3 to which the operative parts of my apparatus are connectedmay be attached to the openmg of said casing l by suitable means such as screws 7.

Fig. 3 illustrates the supporting plate or frame 6, including the two wings (3 thereof, before they are bent into position. In constructing the apparatus the two wings 6 are to be bent downward at the points indicated by dotted lines 6 until they face each other at right angles to the body of plate 6. At the outer end of each wing 6" are two shoulders or stops 6. Each wing 6 has through it two holes 6 and 6 so that when bent into position rods or pins may be inserted therein for pivoting operating parts thereto. One of these operating *parts is a yoke 8 which is pivoted to the wings G on the outer sides thereof by means of pins through the holes 6 Fig. 4. Yoke 8 before it is bent into position is seen in Figs. 13 and 14, and when in position is seen in Fig. 4. It is also shown in Figs. 1, 7 and 9 partly in section. To the wings 6 on the inner sides thereof at the holes 6 is also pivoted the rocking device 9 (Figs. 1, 7 and 9), of

which there are two connected by-rods 10. (See Figs. 1, 8 and 10). A T-shaped device 21, Fig. 4, has its cross bar pivoted in the rockers 9 at the point 22, Figs. 1, 7 and 9, and its shaft projectsthrough a slot 8 in the yoke 8, Figs. 13, 4 and 1, and is surrounded by a spring 23, one end of which bears against said cross bar and the other against yoke 8 (see Figs. 1, 4, 7 and 9). Contact blades 11 (for one or more circuits) are fastened to yoke 8 and insulated therefrom and from all parts of the apparatus, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 15. The blades 11 are preferably secured to the yoke 8 by rivets passing through the holes 24 in said yoke, and through similar holes in the blades 11, insulating washers 25, and metallic washers 26. In Fig. 2, the blades 11 are in horizontal position, and as shown in said figure, the blades are of increased width at the central portion in order to receive the rivets. Fig. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view of one of the blades 11 and of the washers 25 and 26. When the circuit is closed, blades 11 occupy the position shown in Fig. 1, but when the circuit is to be opened, the parts 11 will be moved a quarter turn so as to stand in a vertical position.

The devices for operating the switch mechanism consist of a hollow push button 12, inclosed rod 13, coiled spring 14, cross-bar 15 and U-shaped spring 16 (Figs. 1, 5, 11).

- Bar 15 has two pins 17 bearing against the lower ends of spring 16 which hold said bar normally in central position. Another pin 18 in the center of rod 13 passes through a slot in the bar 15 and permits said bar to have a lateral movement to the right and the left. A pin 19 through the upper ends of 12 and 13 holds them together, and bar 15 coming against the plate or frame 6 prevents the operating parts from getting loose from the mechanism.

The operation of the apparatus is easily understood. Supposing the parts are in position shown in Fig. 1 with the circuit closed, to open the circuit, push button 12 and rod 13 are moved downward compressing spring 14, whose lower end rests upon a bridge 20 (Figs. 1 and 6). Slots in the lower end of button 12 permit the latter to be moved without interfering with bridge 20. As the parts move downward the left hand end'of bar 15 strikes the left-hand rod 10, Figs.-1 and 7, and rocks the lever mechanism9 upon the pivot 6 causing parts 10 and 22 to describe arcs of a circle.

movement compresses spring 23 until the part 22 of device 21 is moved to a point slightly to the right of a straight line between the points 6 and 8 (Figs. 1, 7, 13),

where the shaft of 21 passes through yoke 8. Thereupon spring 23 recoils and throws yoke 8, Figs. 1 and 7 by a sudden and very rapid movement .toward the left until it strikes the left-hand shoulder 6 of frame 6, Fig. 1, this being the position of the parts shownin Fig. 4. This movement being about a quarter circle causes switch 11 (Fig. 1) to stand in a vertical position,

As the operator removes the pressure from push button 12, the latter and its connected parts are returned to their normal positions, shown in Fig. 1,

, by spring 14., while the circuit remains open.

The downward thrust of the push button just described causes the right-hand end of bar 15 to pass below the right hand connecting rod 10 of rockers 9, and in moving back to normal position the bevel on the upper side of bar 15 permits it to move toward the left and slip past said rod 10, since the pin 18 has a certain freedom of movement in its slot in bar 15. As the rockers 9 move on the pivot 6", pin 18 moving in the slot just described permits the necessary lengthwise movement of the bar' 15.

The operation of the apparatus just described throws rockers 9 and, yoke 8 with the The cross-bar of T-shaped device 21 in this connected parts into the position shown in Figsf l: and 9. To close the circuit the operator again moves push button 12 downward and the mechanism operates in the same manner but in the reverse order to that above described, since the right-hand end of the bar 15 now comes in contact with the right hand rod 10 of rockers 9 and shifts the parts for operating the switch back to the positions shown in Fig. 1, after which spring 14 again returns the parts to normal position, while the circuit remains closed. Fig. 2 illustrates a construction with two switches 11, which would require a du lication of conductors 2, 3, 1, 5. It' follows, therefore, that my switch mechanism constitutes a very simple and effective construction in which one or more electrical circuits may be opened and closed by successive movements of a single push button in the same direction.

Figs. 5 and 6 are separate views of push button 12 and its immediately related parts; Fig. 11 is a separate view of bar 15, pins 17 and spring 16; and Fig. 12 shows two views of push rod 13. Spring 16 always returns bar 15 to normal position shown in Fig. 1.

I claim:

1. In a flush electric switch, the combination of a contact blade, means'for operating said blade to open and close a circuit comprising a rocker to which said blade is secured, and a second rocker operatively connected to said first rocker, means for operating said second rocker comprising a depressible member, means for returning said member to normal position, a bar carried by said member and slidable transversely thereof, and means for returning said bar to central position with respect to said member when displaced therefrom,

whereby successive depressions of said member will effect alternate opening and closing of the circuit, and the return strokes of said member will be ineffective.

2. In a flush electric switch, the combination of a contact blade, means for operating said blade to open and close a circuit comprising a rocker to which said blade is secured, and a second rocker operatively connected to said first rocker, means for operating said second rocker comprising a depressible hollow; push button, a rod inclosed'within said push button and movable therewith, a spring also inclosed within said push button for returnin it to normal position, a bar carried by sald rod and slidable transversely thereof, and means for return- )ing said bar to central position with respect to said rod'when displaced therefrom, where- ,by successive depressions of said push button will effect alternate opening and closing of the circuit, and the return strokes of said push button will be ineffective.

3. In a flush electric switch, the combination of a contact blade, a rocker mechanism for operating said blade to open and close a circuit, means for operating said rocker mechanism comprising a depressible hollow push button, a rodinclosed within said push button and movable therewith, means for returning said push button to normal position, a bar carried by said rod and slidable transversely thereof, said bar being provided with a projection on each side of its center and a unitary U-shap'ed spring surroundlng said rod and inclosed within said push button, the ends of said spring c0- operating with said projections to return said bar to central position with respect to said rod when displaced therefrom in either direction whereby successive depressions of said push button will effect alternate opening and closing of the circuit, and the return strokes of said push button will be ineflective.

' WILLIAM J. NEWTON. Witnesses:

PHILIP SINNOTT, BRUCE M. FALCONER. 

